Closer working with Edinburgh and Dundee city councils as part of the city region strategy could help Fife Council’s efforts to tackle poverty.
That is the view of Fife Council leader David Ross, who revealed the Labour administration wants to build on informal discussions that have been under way for the past year with Edinburgh City Council and other local authorities in the city region areas.
Emphasising that a successful economy underpinned Fife Council’s ambitions to break the cycle of deprivation that still afflicts too many parts of the kingdom, he said he would be asking the council’s chief executive, Steve Grimmond, to engage with these neighbouring authorities on a formal basis, to bring forward a proposal for a city region deal for submission to the UK and Scottish governments within six months.
Mr Ross highlighted some of things he said have been achieved by the Labour administration since it came into power in May 2012: the Fife Youth Jobs Contract, investment in early years, investment in affordable housing, investment in town centres, investment in sport, promoting foster carers, renewal of care homes, offsetting the “bedroom tax”, offsetting the impact of welfare reform, ackling fuel poverty and introducing the living wage.
As well as the city region deal, Mr Ross set out a further five major priorities for the remaining two and a half years of the current administration’s term:
* Tackling poverty remains a top priority for the council and not just the symptoms but the root causes. That, he said, was why the council has been creating jobs and apprenticeships, investing in education, investing in early years, building new, good-quality affordable housing and supporting the development of a strong local economy.
He said poverty is a “disgrace” and efforts to tackle it have to be redoubled. A Fairer Fife Commission is also being proposed, to bring together public, private, voluntary and community organisations to develop practical help.
* Efforts to improve education and literacy to help break the cycle of deprivation need to go further and faster. A major engagement will take place over the next three months to explore ideas on how leadership models in schools can be improved, how the continuity of learning and the professional learning of teachers can be enhanced.
* The Fife Youth Jobs Contract has, Mr Ross said, been a major success under the leadership of Liberal Democrat councillor Tony Martin. This will be extended with a further £2 million in funding, focusing on those young people who need the most support to raise their skills and find decent jobs.
* The council will press forward with Connecting Fife, improving the strategic and local transport links that underpin the economy.
Working with Transport Scotland and building on a recent meeting with the Scottish transport minister, Keith Brown, the case will be made for the Levenmouth rail link and improvements on the A92.
There will also be pressure for the implementation of already agreed projects including the Halbeath rail interchange and Rosyth park and ride, the extension of parking at Leuchars and a serious examination of projects such as the re-opening of Newburgh rail halt.
* With health and social care services across Scotland under pressure and under-funded, the council will be calling for this to change at a national level.
At the same time, the integration of health and social care in partnership with NHS Fife will bring improvements. Following agreement with the chairman of NHS Fife, key issues will be looked at where further collaboration can improve services.